Dan Karpenchuk

WBFO’s comprehensive news coverage extends into Southern Ontario and Dan Karpenchuk is the station’s voice from the north. The award-winning reporter covers binational issues, including economic trends, the environment, tourism and transportation.

Karpenchuk’s long career in public broadcasting began in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He currently works in the Toronto region.

Dan's reports for WBFO have included stories about Toronto's hot housing market, the energy industry and the failure of retail giant Target's foray into the Canadian market. He provides listeners with insights on Great Lakes issues, the arts, health trends and other topics that are important to our audience. His reports help listeners to better understand how residents on both sides of the border are impacted by issues and events.

The Ontario government has unveiled details of where residents can smoke recreational cannabis when it becomes legal in mid-October. The rules are even less strict than proposed by the previous Liberal government.

In Ontario, the newly-elected government of Conservative premier Doug Ford has moved quickly to dismantle policies and programs supported by the previous government. In political terms, those changes are coming at a breakneck pace, and with some predictable fallout. Some of the changes have come as a surprise to critics and supporters alike.

Canadian travelers to the United States could have another concern when it comes to cannabis. They are already asked if they’ve ever used marijuana. Now, new questions have focused on whether they have ever invested in American pot companies.

Toronto is again facing a crisis over gun violence. There have been more than 200 shootings this year alone, leading to more than two dozen deaths. Now, the city is rolling out a strategy to deal with the issue.

Canada’s largest city has achieved the dubious recognition of not only being the worst city in the country for commuting, but the sixth worst in the world, even surpassing known commuting nightmares like New York City and Los Angeles.

Residents of Ontario go to the polls Thursday for a provincial election. The month-long campaign has been full of twists and turns, the biggest coming from Liberal party leader and premier Kathleen Wynne.

The mayor of Toronto says the city is facing an immigration crisis and it is overwhelming the community’s ability to cope. Mayor John Tory is calling on the Canadian and Ontario governments to help pay for the costs.

An animal rights group has lost another legal bid to have two chimpanzees declared persons so they can be transferred to a sanctuary. The case has attracted international attention and support. Some of that support has come from two Canadian university professors.

A report issued recently by Buffalo's teachers' union found disruptive behavior to be a major problem in city classrooms. But the situation appears to be even worse north of the border. In Ontario, some troubling numbers are being disclosed about growing violence against teachers.

Trouble is brewing for iconic Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons. It’s over Ontario’s increase to the minimum wage. The chain has become the target of a public and labor backlash in the fight against the wage increase.

The Liberal government of Ontario has passed legislation that would make it illegal to hold protests near or outside abortion clinics. The ban will also protect health professionals and staff who provide abortion services at their homes.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, police on both sides of the border will be stepping up their surveillance on the roads, especially on the lookout for distracted driving. Ontario has stepped up its campaign against distracted driving, but officials say motorists still haven't gotten the message that using a cell phone while driving can be deadly.

Rochester and Buffalo have teamed up to make a bid for Amazon’s second North American headquarters. Billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs are at stake. But the New York bid will get stiff competition from north of the border.

The legendary frontman for a Canadian band that had a passionate following in Western New York has died. Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie, whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called “our buddy” in an an emotional statement Wednesday, was 53. As WBFO Canada correspondent Dan Karpenchuk reports, his passing is being mourned across the country.

The City of Toronto has fast tracked the opening of three supervised safe injection sites, and at least one interim site has already opened. As Dan Karpenchuk reports, the time line appears to have been ramped up after a harm reduction group opened its own supervised injection site in response to the opioid crisis.

Ontario's premier has drawn sharp criticism over her recent announcement to significantly increase the minimum wage in the province. Some business leaders and political opponents say the move is nothing more than electioneering.

Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced a high-speed rail link from Toronto to Windsor. The issue has been talked about for decades, but previous governments had backed away because of the high costs.

A Niagara area man is working to make a Lake Ontario express service a reality, one that would benefit the environment and commuters. He is pitching a plan for a hovercraft service between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.

A consumer advocate group has issued a warning about New Leaf Travel, a low-cost airline based in Winnipeg. The discount carrier flies out of eleven mid-sized Canadian cities, including Hamilton, but it continues to run into problems.

Toronto police will not march in this year's Pride Parade, one of the biggest events in North America. The police chief, Mark Saunders, says he knows the LGBTQ community is divided and his decision will enable those differences to be addressed.

Garbage collection and disposal for a large area of Toronto will remain in union hands. The city's mayor had been advocating for it to be turned over to the private sector, but he has basically shelved the idea, for now.

The city of Toronto is moving to address an opioid crisis that is crossing Canada. In the United States, it has already been described as the greatest drug crisis in American history, fueled by opioids like fentanyl. Across the continent, thousands of people are dying from overdoses. Recently in Vancouver, the city had the equivalent of nearly 130 overdose deaths in one month, the equivalent of four a day. That prompted the city's mayor to issue a warning to his counterpart in Toronto.